Tunnel ship clamp



1954 w. A. MEIGHAN ETAL 2,685,849

TUNNEL SHIP CLAMP Original Filed June 6, 1950 INVENTOR. WilliamHMQl'fl'hdn ahcl Tire L.Hume

Patented Aug. 10, 1954 TU N L S LA Original; application June 6, 1950, Serial No.

166,495. Divided and this applicatiqn october 1 5-, 1951:,Serial No. 251,414

1 6 C a m This. invention relates. to. a two. piece ship clamp. ion gripping. both the. web; and inboand flange-of a ship hull rib so that cables or strapscap be secured thereto.. and'stretchedz across thev ship ol or ttached to. pieces of. car o to, inhibit. ar o hiftne ifi ally, this. inventi nis' a di vision. of, our mm applioationserial. Num: berlfifi'glfifi... ow Eaient No. 2 15 255. dat Antil fi ed ame. 6., 1.950.. nd entitled.

Sni Clamp...

7 On o e t o ou nvention is. o ro ide a two; h nclem W 1 mum 31D?- Q tome to. .e ie zta we o the. ul rib. o tha may in. ace wh s ie erecar uel from a -lin o Stands upon. herineewre summit.

eaqqee l e ne serge eeeel twat b Ri t-a (l. aaam fi he ever pre ent d eee that he. Qa be n imns or ed emi a ou and. caoeet e ss s h s, manger i low d. to iali e du ing a sto m, o the of ie i se may cause e ar o to. lide Q1. sh ft; ab ut. h h ld an an e th sbi s. ent r o ave ts; a he hip. i ones o ile-1mm. si e .6 .12 n'. extr me c seaa ceigq. QI; flme zle oods has: bee kn wn to ow to we side ausin he' hin. to list or heel dangerously. With non-efungihl rnomen ra ed ieq o a o. uch liea i ma n ne-a damage nrod eed when he aoh ierv ks 0. and. s id abou e ld. h o v t ona e o isions eeai st. 11 argo liii with toe. ar s? t pe- Th e. wit heavy ma h neiy o o he .qq menir ed eieee Qt a o, heart cables, o 13 1231 .S ap QIQ QBQK Q QQEWGQ A heindi i uel P e es, o car a d. h ull b 0.

de l; clea s.- m iuneib careahowever. the old. o en i W ma ler innem nested ea a me ewtent; or. :aitb l s d. or baf network a ross. the hold with sowed. tim r 0. n a ka. The iu eib e car o is then oade i he sq iaree ever i... temoorar-r struc ure e0 imber d d d. he tang bl and od s. to hibitlat ral. mo ement.- here Bef rethe mite of imbe rose. bai er sm high 6281 tem o-tam bul eads. Qr; a ieslw. Fe. wait d in. ma e w th. ti v rse timbe h me m mbers. Re enda. howe e hi mbe shor ng bee l minated bl! s c r ng the v.6; .cal. ba ie. pla es. o he skin. ike i .th. me al; naps or. cat; Wha eve yne oi ca olate be. securoiae not a.it.will.baaotedii .ai ome. i ao m p dt teame ca in ittieli .stti se a hea yh m er l w plate.

$1 is. di ficult o s the flange and web'of a hull rib and secure a metal strap or cable in place. whether the. metal strap on eabla is holding aooncentrated piece of cargo oris holding a fungiblev cargo bafie It istoivard an improvement in this type. of ship clamp which invention is directed.

The. ribs of a ship. are. elongate vertical mem.-.. bers, usually Z -..bar.s, channels, or bulb bars, to. which the skin of theship is. welded or riveted. In any event, aa viewed from the inside of the hold, a typical; rib. isiormed with. an outboard: flange. secured to. the skin, a web arranged to. lie. perpendicular to. theplane of the skin, and an inboard flange spaced f-ronghand parallel to. the.

skin. The tygieal ship. clamp overlies the. in-

board flan e. and. a. port-ion. of the web, and; is; s ur d: th r to with. awedge, set. sc ew, or pain of jaws. A hook or eye usually protrudes from; he end ft e amn. order that. a trap. cable may be secured hereto. Qnedisa iiaee which we have. mood to xi tin h s me; i n n am es d the means. int nded to. secure, the. clampio 13, 1. .lf-ib.- T 1193. 2-. hold. of a ship may-h u te dee and. 1 a h hold or QL1URQi -.;fi 11 tempora y timb rbaflies, a wonkma nsis he sunported. by he p'orary sta in s1 nslecl. f om. e. sling qr otherwi e. ,in eca ze y motio ed. adjace the hull ibs. to work thereon. In a precarious. position. t. dif ic lt to htead a h avy s rew or net a exer a lar e. evera e. wi h nrvbar- The eio a he. n e i ial hin. amp... w th. it ase q ated set scre .1: wedeeaa went ea y n u ace. Furthermore.. the. dis aope h tweea ski nd n oard i flan e. is. often; nine nebesm: ose. uc res isted distan e mi s i i tqe w i an. be e nereied to ure he shi clamp i n a e wit ablow mo a .aul- Aeoor oe szt on o ec o our inte t .12 1. o p fuvicle .118 damp, which i s u edi i nl eeq a hul ri two eparate. oner ti ne t e fir t; at whi aecomol' l q ifine to; a. sm l WQIIK. .e useerl l. item. a. lim h fir ste maeb ed; ossee re om" c amp. i e. volves a memftaoleineoneretion so the. damn will not slide down the vertical rib, Il1us, a workman need not-attempt to. thread a. heavy set screw or; nut. or dri led maul While s p er-t d pr ariously. The. second step. fol ows, autqmath cally afigerthev workman has. been hauled .9 saiei Whea. a tab e I str p: s. e ated. in. the ioq sor-exeoi thefidamp... d w th.

cpme loi a. il ei eesioa p ee.

u? our ship clamp on the rib and securely fastens the same in place.

One object of our invention is to provide a two piece ship clamp for gripping the web and inboard flange of a hull rib, which clamp is provided with a tunnel in the terminal end thereof for increasing the grip of the clamp on the rib when a pull is applied substantially parallel to the tunnel axis.

Yet another object of our invention is to provide a clamp for a structural member, which clamp comprises an elongated keeper member and with a tunnel. These elements are tapered complementarily so the keeper, in sliding through the tunnel, will increase the grip of the clamp on the structural member in direct proportion to the amount of pull applied to the keeper member. I

These and other objects and advantages of our invention will appear in the following detailed description taken in connection with the ac coinpanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, with a hull rib shown partially in section, indicating the manner in which our tunnel ship clamp grips both the flange and web of the hull rib, said View being taken with the keeper member in fully extended and in full gripping position; and

Fig. 2 is a section view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the manner in which the keeper member bears upon the flange of the hull rib to apply purchase to the ship clamp, the amount of overlap of the webof the rib having been exaggerated slightly for clarity.

As shown, our invention is adapted to grip a ship hull rib or other structural member having an inboard flange I and a web 2. To this end, a two piece clamp is provided and the first piece is defined by a U-shaped body having a first or short outboard leg 3a and a second or long inboard leg la joined by a connecting section 5a. These legs are parallel and are spaced one from another a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the flange i. Thus, the short leg 3a has an overall length less than the length of the flange so the connecting end section 5a will abut the end of the flange when a purchase is applied to the clamp through the tapered tunnel We as hereinafter will be described.

The second piece of the two piece clamp is defined by an elongated keeper member Ha which is provided with a hook l5a at one end and with a rear tool engaging face lla at the other end. As shown in Fig. 1, the hook 511 is formed with a large radius and the curved sweep thereof is sufficient to clear the length of the aforementioned tapered tunnel ifia when the keeper member first is assembled with the U-shaped body. That is to say, when the keeper member Ha is to be inserted through the tapered tunnel Illa, the keeper first is turned up at an oblique angle to the tunnel and the end of the hook [5a is inserted through the tunnel. Thereafter, the keeper is turned downwardly somewhat as the hook is pushed inboard'and the end of the hook is threaded on through the tunnel and into an initial gripping position with respect to the aforementioned web 2.

Turning now to a comparison of Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the tunnel Mia and the keeper Ha are tapered in a complementary configuration and the inner face of the keeper is provided with an elongated jaw or flat contact portion 3a. Further as indicated by the exaggerated overlap in Fig. 2, the effective length of the long leg 4a is such that the left wall of the tunnel [0a overlaps the Web 2. That is to say, the tunnel is four-sided and the effective length of the long leg la, from the left wall of the tunnel to the connection section 5a, is less than the length of the flange I whereas the effective length, from the opposite or right wall of the tunnel to the connecting section 5a, is greater than the flange length. Accordingly, when the rear tool engaging face [la is tapped slightly with a hammer or is moved with a slight prybar pressure, the tapered keeper member I la is caused to contact both the tunnel tea; and the web 2. Thus, the flat jaw 58a comes to grip with the rib 2 initially to tack the clamp in place. Thereafter, an increased pull on the hook IM or an increased push on the face We will force the connecting section 5a more tightly against the end of flange l. Furthermore, the greater the force that is exerted upon the tool engaging face Ila or hook [5a, the tighter the keeper member will be wedged between the side of tunnel and the Web to secure th ship clamp in place.

In use, it will be noted that the axis of the tapered tunnel Eta is arranged substantially perpendicular to the plane of the flange I. Thus, the effective axis of the keeper member Ha also is perpendicular to the flange in the operative position of the former. As a first step, while suspended from a sling or the like, the workman will place the U-shaped body 3a, dc, to in position encompassing the flange l of the rib. Thereafter, he will insert the tapered keeper member I la through the tapered tunnel Ella by threading the hook !5a through the tunnel. To tack the clamp in place, he either will pull upon the hook 355a or tap lightly upon the rear tool engaging face Ha. When the keeper member lia finally is to be driven or pulled into place within the tunnel Eta, the jaw ltd is caused to grip the web 2 by the application of a purchase to the leg 4a to draw the connecting section iia tightly and forcefully against the end of the flange i. This final tightening or securing, of course, can be effected by looping a cable over the hook i541 and applying a tension thereto. With this arrangement, the greater the tension, the tighter is the grip of the clamp. On the other hand, the final tightening can be effected by striking the face lid with a hammer, if enough room is afforded, Or by moving the keeper with a prybar. In any event, it will be seen that the workman easily can tack our novel clamp in place while suspended in a sling or while standing upon a precarious support. Thereafter, the workman can be hauled to safety before the clamp is locked in place and tightened since the cable, rope or strap easily is utilized as the tightening medium.

Our invention is of particular utility when employed to secure metal straps or cables to the ribs of a cargo vessel in that novel features thereof allow a Workman to tack or fix the ship clamp in position while the worker is suspended from a sling'or other insecure support. Thus, in accord with the objects of our invention, we have provided a two-piece ship clamp which grips the web and flange of a hull rib and which is provided with a tunnel means for increasing the grip of the clamp on the rib web when a force is applied perpendicular to the plane of the rib flange. We have further provided a ship clamp with an elongated tapered keeper member which coacts with a tapered tunnel to grip the web of a hull rib and obtain purchase therefrom to draw the clamp against the rib flange. Each of these advantages and objects is cumulative in providing a ship clamp which requires a minimum application of force to efiect an initial grip on a cargo hull rib yet which grips more tightly as an increased strain is imparted thereto.

We claim:

1. A two piece ship clamp for gripping the web and inboard flange of a ship hull rib, comprising a U-shaped body having one short leg and one long leg joined by a connecting section, said legs being spaced apart and having their opposed faces arranged parallel with each other over substantial areas, said long leg terminating in a tapered tunnel the axis of which lies substantially perpendicular to the plane of said flange, and an elongated tapered keeper with a rear tool enga ing face of greater cross sectional area than that of the remainder of said keeper, said keeper being slidably mounted in said tapered tunnel, said keeper carrying jaw means adjacent the outboard end thereof adapted to grip said web for applying purchase to said tunnel and long leg in a direction drawing said connecting section against the end of said flange.

2. A two piece ship clamp for gripping the web and inboard flange of a ship hull rib, comprising a U-shaped body having one short leg and one long leg joined by a connecting section, said legs being spaced apart and having their opposed faces arranged parallel with each other over substantial areas, said long leg terminating in a tapered tunnel the axis of which lies substantially perpendicular to the plane of said flange, and an elongated tapered keeper slidably mounted in said tapered tunnel, said keeper carrying jaw means adjacent the outboard end thereof adapted to grip said web for applying purchase to said tunnel and long leg in a direction drawing said connecting section against the end of said flange, the inboard end of said keeper terminating in an engagement means for pulling said keeper into said tunnel to increase the grip of said clamp on said flange and web.

3. A two piece ship clam for gripping the web and inboard flange of a ship hull rib, comprising a U-shaped body having one short leg and one long leg joined by a connecting section, said legs being substantially parallel and being spaced the approximate thickness of said flange to adapt the legs to closely encompass the flange with the connecting section gripping the flange end, said long leg terminating in a tapered tunnel the axis of which lies substantially perpendicular to the plane of said flange, and an elongated tapered keeper slidably mounted in said tapered tunnel, said keeper carrying jaw means adjacent the outboard end thereof adapted to grip said web for applying purchase to said tunnel and long leg in a direction drawing said connecting section against the end of said flange, the inboard end of said keeper terminating in an engagement means for pulling said keeper into said tunnel to increase the grip of said clamp on said flange and web.

4. A two piece ship clamp for gripping the web and inboard flange of a ship hull rib, comprising a U-shaped body having one short leg and one long leg joined by a connecting section, said legs being substantially parallel and being spaced the approximate thickness of said flange to adapt the legs to closely encompass the flange with the connecting section gripping the flange end, said long leg terminating in a tapered tunnel the axis of which lies substantially perpendicular to the plane of said flange, and an elongated tapered keeper with a rear tool engaging face slidably mounted in said tapered tunnel, said keeper carrying jaw means adjacent the outboard end thereof adapted to gri said web for applying purchase to said tunnel and long leg in a direction drawing said connecting section against the end of said flange, the inboard end of said keeper terminating in a hooked engagement for pulling said keeper into said tunnel to increase the grip of said clamp on said flange and web.

5. A two piece clamp for gripping the flange and web of a structural member, said clamp comprising; a first piece defined by a U-shaped body having one short leg and one long leg joined by a connecting end section, said legs being parallel and being spaced a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said flange, said short leg having a length less than the length of said flange to adapt the legs closely to encompass the flange with the connecting end section abutting the end of the flange, said long leg terminating in a walled tapered tunnel the axis of which lies parallel the plane including both of said legs, the effective length of said long leg from one wall of said tunnel to said connecting section being less than the length of said flange and the eflective length from the opposite wall of said tunnel to said section being more than the flange length, and a second piece defined by an elongated keeper means tapered complementary to said tunnel sldably to flt therein.

6. A two piece clamp for gripping the flange and web portions of a structural member, said clamp comprising; a first piece defined by a U- shaped body having parallel first and second legs joined by a connecting section, said second leg terminating in a tapered tunnel which is carried with the axis thereof parallel the plane including said parallel legs, the length of said second leg plus the width of said tunnel being greater than the length of said flange but the length of said second leg being less than the length of said flange, and a second piece defined by an elongated keeper means tapered slidably to flt within said tunnel with a force flt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 986,860 Quinlan Nov. 14, 1911 1,313,747 Sims Aug. 19, 1919 1,332,442 Kane Mar. 2, 1920 2,429,969 Wasco Oct. 28, 1947 2,609,761 Clark Sept. 9, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 152,473 England Oct. 21, 1920 

